The academic year which commences in September 2013, requires the providers of training in Hypnotherapy to adhere to the National Occupational Standards for Hypnotherapy, if their graduates are to receive certain critical benefits. The Standards comprise of:
- Core Curriculum
- Three Learning Outcomes
- Principles of Good Practice
The standards set out the minimum number of face to face training hours of 120 hours and a minimum of 330 hours for the completion of assignments and personal research.
Completion of an accredited course which meets the standards will allow the graduate to:
- Graduate at a Practitioner Level (fully qualified)
- Join a professional Body – e.g. the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR), Hypnotherapy Association etc
- Join the Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) – the body set up with Department of Health funding to oversee the voluntary regulation of complementary medicine in the UK
- Purchase professional indemnity insurance via a professional body
It can only be hoped that these standards are widely published, so that:
- Potential clients for hypnotherapy are better informed when making choices regarding the selection of a therapist
- Potential students are better able to discriminate between the wide range of training experiences in the market place.
These changes are welcomed and long overdue, if the profession is to gain the status it so thoroughly deserves based on its capacity to address successfully a wide variety of conditions.
